Tag: acts of kindness

Did you know that for less than $1.00 it’s possible to renew someone’s faith in humanity? I didn’t either, but last week a woman told me I did just that after giving her 80 cents.

We were sitting at a picnic table in Coconut Grove enjoying an A.C.’s Icee when a young woman starting emptying change on the table explaining that she was dying for a frozen lemonade but wasn’t sure she had $3.50 in cash. (Yes, this is another example of why you want to always carry cash.) After a couple minutes of searching for and then counting out change she realized her craving for a cool, delicious treat was dependent on the number of pennies she could dig up from the bottom of her purse.

At this point I opened the change purse I carry when I ride my bike to see if I had any change. A quarter, two dimes, two nickels…55 cents. Then John found a quarter in his pocket. When we asked if the change we found would be enough to make a purchase, her face lit up.

“Thank you. Thank you so much. You’ve renewed my faith in humanity,” she exclaimed. She went on to say that she was going to leave all of her extra change on the table in case someone else needed a little extra change to partake in a cup of icy goodness.

It just goes to prove that you never know when some small act of kindness will make a person’s day. A smile, a little change, holding a door, reaching an item from the top shelf or providing directions can turn around a stranger’s day.